Flexible sole shoe



Oct. 13, 1964 w. J. RICHARDS 3,152,407

FLEXIBLE soLE sHoE Filed Feb. 26, 1962 United States Patent O assigner to Teun., a corporation of This disclosure is addressed to the manufacture of shoes, and is particularly directed to a method of making and constructing a lightweight soft iiexible sole shoe with superior litting qualities.

High quality mens shoes are customarily made by lasting an upper to a stili insole, sewing a welt to the upper and insole, iilling the space within the welt strip, and tren attaching an outsole. Such a shoe has excellent fitting properties, but is expensive to make and the sole tends to be stili? and hard. ln accordance with this invention, the usual insole is omitted and the vamp portion or front half of the upper is hand sewn to a plug of soft flexible leather. The counter and back portion of the upper is lasted to a stili iiberboard which extends under the heel forwardly to and slightly beyond the back edge of the plug. A sponge pad is placed under the plug and the remainder of the sole area filled with the conventional cork and combining compound, whereupon an outsole is attached by the Littleway process or cement. When the outsole is sewn on, it becomes stitched directly to the upper, the seam between the upper and plug being located inwardly from the sole stitching.

The finished shoe is characterized by an exceptionally soft and pliable sole, at least in the front portion. Good lit is assured by the hand shaping of the upper, and the process is economical in omitting the welt and some of the lasting operations heretofore required in making shoes of comparable quality.

The construction is to be distinguished from the socalled slip-lasted process in that the plug is smaller and the outsole is attached directly to the upper. The process also differs from that sometimes used in making moccasins, where parts of the upper are cement lasted to stiff insole pieces at the toe and heel. With the shoe disclosed herein, the entire front portion of the upper is shaped by hand sewing to a soft pliable bottom plug, which is substantially smaller than the outsole.

Other features will be in part apparent from and in part pointed out in the following detailed description and in the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a longitudinal section illustrating the principal features of construction;

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. l;

FlG. 4 is a bottom perspective View illustrating the shoe at an intermediate stage in its manufacture; and

FIG. 5 is a detail cross section of a side portion of the sole.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a shoe having an upper l, an outsole 3 and a heel 5. The upper 1 initially is typical of or similar to that used in making high quality welted lasted shoes in that it has a lasting allowance. The construction and process followed here in forming the back half of the shoe are also similar to that customarily employed in making quality shoes.

An insole piece or tuck 7 of liberboard or other tough stiil material is temporarily tacked over the back portion of a last, and a counter 9 is inserted within a counter pocket formed in the back part of the upper by the lining 11. The back part of the upper is then lasted to the tuck Patente Get. 13, 1964 7 by pulling its bottom margin over the tuck and securing it (along with the counter) by tacks 13 driven through the lasting allowance 15 and counter margin 17 into the insole piece. The points of the tacks, necessarily, are liattened or clinched against the last or at a later point in the manufacturing operation. The tacks 13 are driven in a line extending about the region covered by the heel 5. A steel shank 19 may be applied over the tuck 7, and a cold bottom liller 21 of cork and combining agent is applied about the shank. Later, the outsole 3 and heel 5 are secured at the back in the customary manner, and the tuck is covered with a sock lining 22.

rl`he front and shank portion of the shoe herein are formed in a manner diierent from that used in making a regular welted shoe. In the welted shoe, the insole extends the full length of the upper and has a rib to which the upper and welt strip are secured. The tuck 7 herein is shown to terminate at 23 near the half way point or Where the outsole would normally contact the ground.

The front half of the upper is then secured to a separate insole piece or plug 25 of soft leXible material, such as upper leather. The back edge 27 of the plug is positioned on the last so as to lap slightly the front of bottom part 23 of the insole piece 7 and the plug 25 is otherwise of an outline similar to but smaller than that of the outsole. The front portion of the upper has a lasting margin 29 turned or pulled inwardly to the edge 31 of the plug and both the edge 31 of the plug and edge 33 of the upper are directed away from the last or toward the outsole. The upper and plug are hand sewn together along the seam 35 while the upper is pulled or hand lasted and their edges are thereafter trimmed close to the seam. A slight cavity remains within this seam 3S, and the cavity accommodates a pad 37 of soft spongy material, such as sponge or foam rubber, the pad being about an eighth inch thick.

The plug 2S is similar in a way to the toe plug of a moccasin, but is on the bottom rather than the top of the shoe. While hand sewing the plug to the upper, the upper necessarily is also hand lasted or pulled tightly about the last to obtain a good iit. This stitching serves to shape the front half of the upper, and the portion remaining between the heel and plug is lasted and secured to the front portion of the insole piece with metal fasteners 38.

The outsole 3 is then laid and secured by a Littleway lock stitch 39 buried within a channel 41 in the bottom edge of the outsole. The line of stitching 39 runs about all but the back of the sole and is located outwardly of the seam 35, where the upper is joined to the plug. In addition or alternatively to the stitching 39, the outsole may be secured by cement to the inturned margin of the upper. Finally, the heel is attached to the outsole.

The particular sequence described might be varied-for example, the vamp or front half of the upper may be joined to the plug before the back of the upper is lasted to the insole piece. Gther variations will also be apparent to those skilled in this art, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the fair scope of the appended claims. The significant feature of the disclosure is the manner in which the front of the upper is sewn to a soft moccasin-like bottom plug underlaid with a soft filler, Such as sponge rubber, thereby achieving an exceptionally soft comfortable shoe without loss of fitting qualities and in an economical process.

When, in the appended claims, an insole or insole piece is referred to, such is intended to mean the element of the shoe bottom construction which holds the inturned or overlasted opposite margins of the upper in place, and prevents them from moving away from each other during the manufacture of the shoe prior to the attachment of the outsole.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe comprising an upper and an insole piece, said upper having a lasting allowance whose opposite margins are turned toward each other and secured to said insole piece, said insole piece bridging the gap between opposite margins of the upper, and an outsole stitched to the upper at a line spaced outwardly from said insole piece.

2. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the margins of the upper and insole piece are turned outwardly with the inner face of each contiguous, and stitched through.

3. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the margins of the upper and insole piece are turned outwardly with the inner face of each contiguous, and stitched through to define a pocket smaller than but similar in shape to the bottom contour at the forepart, and cushion material in pocket.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Reed Aug. 21, Blume May 7, Ramsey Aug. 19, Naidor Oct. 8, Cocozella May 25, Mansfield Aug. 27, Calderazzo July 31, Nacht Nov. 21,

said 

1. A SHOE COMPRISING AN UPPER AND AN INSOLE PIECE, SAID UPPER HAVING A LASTING ALLOWANCE WHOSE OPPOSITE MARGINS ARE TURNED TOWARD EACH OTHER AND SECURED TO SAID INSOLE PIECE, SAID INSOLE PIECE BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN OPPOSITE MARGINS OF THE UPPER, AND AN OUTSOLE STITCHED TO THE UPPER AT A LINE SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID INSOLE PIECE. 